Parks and Countryside Ranger

Directorate: Place

Starting salary: Level 5:- £24,496 per annum

Location: Based in Castlewood, Clevedon

Hours: 37 hours per week

Contract: Fixed term – 2 years

Closing date: Thursday 27 April 2023

Join us!

It’s a great time to join North Somerset Council as a Parks and Countryside Ranger to help us achieve our ambitions to engage and enthuse our communities on the benefits of our open spaces.

About the role

North Somerset has a diverse landscape with huge nature conservation value with the Council managing 1100 parks, open spaces and wildlife sites. It is not therefore unsurprising that our vision is to be a greener Council. To demonstrate this we have declared an ecological emergency, started to improve biodiversity in our parks and open spaces, and published our first green infrastructure strategy. Our passionate Open Spaces and Natural Environment Teams delivers green infrastructure across North Somerset through services such as parks and open spaces, rights of way, trees, ecology and landscape.

You will be joining a newly restructured Open Spaces and Natural Environment team helping to engage our existing volunteer groups and recruit new volunteers from across North Somerset. A key element of this new post is to engage with green social prescribers in the region to collaborate on the provision of activities within NSC open spaces with part of the post being funded through the Health and Wellbeing Strategy Fund.

About you

We are seeking a full-time Parks and Countryside Ranger which has been funded for a 2-year period. We have a large network of volunteers, including the new Rewilding Champions, and this post will work with them to deliver improvements in the natural environment across NSC land.

The successful candidate will have an interest in the natural environment with a good history of volunteer engagement and management, including health and safety, event co-ordination, use of tools for practical conservation, and ideally experience of green social prescribing to support lower carbon healthcare. You will be working closely with the Senior Parks and Open Spaces Officer.

You should have excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, and be computer literate. The role also requires the ability to drive. The Council supports agile and flexible working.

North Somerset Council Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits, to ensure that you are paid fairly for your work, have the flexibility to enjoy a great work/life balance, and have the support you need. Our benefits include an excellent pension scheme, family leave options, flexible working hours, working from home, as well as career progression and training opportunities and becoming part of a friendly and supportive team.

More information about our extensive benefits package can be found here;

https://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/my-services/jobs-training/council-jobs/working-us/employee-benefits

This post is exempt under the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions) Order 1975 and is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Want to know more and apply?

For an informal discussion, please contact Samantha Phillips, Senior Parks and Open Spaces Officer on 01275 888930.

Anticipated interview date: Wednesday 03 May 2023

North Somerset Council is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all sections of our community regardless of age, disability, sex, race, religion, belief or sexual orientation. North Somerset Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.